Twists and Turns
by SennaFan4ever
Summary: It started out as a nice dinner for two.  But drama quickly has the night turning down another road altogether.  With an innocent child to protect, Tony and Ziva must work together as they try to hide true feelings for one another.  R/R


DISC: I DO NOT own any of the chars from NCIS. They belong to their prospective writers! I do however own anyone you don't recognize!

A/N: This is my first NCIS story, so please be kind. Any critical feedback is welcome as well as suggestions.

"Twists and Turns"

Chapter 1

Ziva smiled at Tony in a way that clearly told him she wasn't buying a single word he was saying.

"Come on, Zi," he said, "I'm serious. Ask McGee if you don't believe me."

"I'm not going to ask him anything," Ziva stated, putting her fork down on her plate, "come on, we're gonna be late if we don't leave now."

Tony smiled at her use of a contraction.

"Atta girl!" Tony praised.

"Honestly, I don't know why you get so excited every time I use a contraction."

"Because it means you're becoming more like us," he replied.

"And that's a good thing?" Ziva asked. She was about to say more when the unmistakable sound of gunshots ripped through the calm of the diner.

Not looking back, Ziva jumped up and raced towards the noise.

"Zi, wait!" Tony cried, "Didn't Gibs teach you anything? We don't go rushing after a possibly armed person!"

Ignoring him, Ziva kept on running. She was out of the diner before Tony had even caught up.

Rounding the corner, Ziva was in time to see a redSendan speeding away.

Getting closer, she saw a man on the ground, blood gushing from a wound on his stomach.

"You're going to be okay, " she announced, bending down next to him, "My name is Ziva. I am with NCIS."

The man cut her off by suddenly grabbing on to her jacket sleeve and glancing up at her imploringly.

"You have to save her," he insisted between labored breaths, 'I left her in…she's all alone, he'll kill her if he finds her, please, you have to find…she's only a little…" his voice trailed off as more blood seeped onto the ground.

"Stay with me, " Ziva insisted, "Just hang on a little bit longer."

It was no use though. The man breathed his last breath a moment later and was gone.

Ziva cursed under her breath just as Tony joined her.

"What happened here?" he questioned.

"He bled out, " Ziva replied simply, "we have to call the team."

"I've already done that, " Tony informed her, "did you get anything out of him before he died?"

"He begged me to help find a little girl," Ziva answered, "he said someone would kill her if we didn't find her."

"Well I saw an abandoned building near here," Tony told her, "maybe that's where she's hiding."

"Why didn't I see this place?" Ziva questioned at the same time Ducky and Palmer's arrived.

"You were too busy criticizing my driving," he replied.

"David, talk to me, " Gibs ordered.

"I think he was shot. He begged me to find a little girl, said she would be killed if we didn't find her. Tony thinks she might be hiding in an nearby abandoned building."

"What are you waiting around here for?" Gibs barked.

Ziva didn't need telling twice. She left for Tony's car.

"Duck, what do you think?" Gibs aasked, turning to the ME.

"Ziva was right," he started, examining the man for himself, "he was definitely shot and bled out. I'll know more when we get him back to base."

((((((((((

Meanwhile, Ziva and Tony were driving around, trying to find the building Tony had described.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Ziva asked as she spotted the same gas station they had passed at least three times since they had started to search.

"I'm sure," Tony replied. He was about to say something else when Ziva got a brain storm.

"Stop here!" she ordered.

"Why?" Tony asked, stopping the car in the process.

"I have a hunch," Ziva said, "wait here." With that ,she got out of the car and made her way towards a small building near the gas station. It looked abandoned and the perfect place for someone to hide a something or someone they were trying to protect.

Satisfied when the door opened at her touch, Ziva stepped inside and gazed around. The inside of the building was dark and damp. She got a closer look around and noted the chipping wood on the walls and the dim light cast by a single light overhead. She was about to call out when a small whimpering sound caught her attention.

Seeing movement out of the corner of her eye, Ziva went towards it.

Kneeling down so she wouldn't scare her, Ziva spoke softly.

"It's okay, you can come out. I won't hurt you."

A minute later, Ziva caught sight of a small figure moving a little closer.

As the light fell upon her features, Ziva's heart broke. The child's dress was tattered and torn and her hair looked in need of a good washing. Her eyes were a sparkling blue and Ziva could see nothing but fear in their depths.

"I won't hurt you, little one," Ziva assured her once again. Then getting an idea, Ziva ran with it. Taking a deep breath, she spoke once again, only this time she switched to Hebrew. "Shmi Ziva," she tried. She waited a minute to see what kind of reaction the child would have before continuing.

The little girl relaxed slightly before a tiny smile spread across her face. It quickly faded a second later and was replaced by a frown.

"What's your name?" Ziva asked.

"Shmi Talia," she replied.

Ziva's breath caught in her throat when she heard the girl's reply. She hadn't been ready for that one. She quickly recovered before asking her another question.

"How old are you?" Ziva asked her.

Talia held up her right hand and her pinkie on her left.

Ziva smiled.

"Well, Talia, I need to take you back to where I work. A friend of mine needs to make sure you're okay and then we'll find a safe place for you to live."

"I'm scared!" the little girl whimpered using English for the first time since Ziva had found her.

"I know you are, Motek, but you're safe now. You can trust me."

Talia looked at ziva for a few minute before moving even closer to her.

Ziva was about to ask her if she wanted to walk or be carried when her cell phone went off.

Startled by the noise, Talia jumped into her lap.

"Shh, it's okay," Ziva soothed as she picked up the phone and put it to her ear, "David."

"Zi, it's me," Tony's voice came through the other end, "did you find her?"

"Yes," Ziva replied, "she's with me now. We're coming out soon."

"Okay," Tony said, "and way to go. Two in one day. You are on a roll."

Ziva ignored that comment.

"We'll see you in a minute," she told him before hanging up. "That was my friend, Tony," she explained to the slightly calmer girl in her arms, "he's really nice. He's going to drive us back to where I work. He works with me too."

Talia nodded and snuggled into Ziva's hold while putting her thumb in her mouth.

Ziva was about to take it out, but she resisted the urge. She had a feeling Talia needed all the soothing techniques she could use right now, so she let it go.

Opening the back passenger's seat of the car, Ziva placed Tailia inside. She made sure her seat belt was on and reassured her in Hebrew that she would just be in the front seat. Closing the door, she got into the front driver's seat and Tony started the car and drove towards HQ.

Tony chanced a glance in the rear view mirror and gave the little girl a friendly smile. He was hoping to put her mind at ease. Unfortunately, all he succeeded in doing was making her turn away and try to curl up for protection.

"Tony!" Ziva hissed.

"Sorry," he apologized, "I was just trying to be friendly. You know me, I'm a cool guy. Kids love me."

Ziva rolled her eyes just as they pulled into the lot of NCIS.

Getting out of the car, Ziva went around back and got Talia out. She asked her if she wanted to be carried or to walk on her own in English to see how much she understood the language.

"Carry me, please, Ziva?" the little girl whispered.

Ziva grinned and obliged the six-year-old.


End file.
